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US reformulating its Middle East policy

The United States does not want to be a regional policeman; instead, it wants a new alliance to play that role.

A house divided by broad political lines

The European Parliament, which represents European citizens, was established as the legislative branch of the European Union. It is the only EU organ elected by direct universal suffrage, for five-year terms. The next election is scheduled for May 23-26.

App change shows tax authority has heeded people's concerns

TENANTS DO NOT need to fill in the house owners' name and identification card number while providing information to the tax authority when applying for personal income tax deductions after Sunday. Beijing News comments:

Data indicate pessimism over birth rate unfounded

There has been growing worry in recent years that China's population may have started to decrease, leading to a rapidly aging society. However, figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday suggest that is a pessimistic view, as there were 15.23 million new births last year, meaning the population grew by 3.81 percent to 1.395 billion.

GDP growth slows, but remains steady

Despite growing at the lowest rate in nearly three decades given the complicated domestic and external situation, that China's GDP growth was 6.6 percent last year highlights the resilience of the world's second-largest economy, which remains one of the fastest-growing major economies and the largest contributor to growth of the world economy.

Public money being wasted on follies

THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING and Urban-Rural Development has publicized two examples of local construction projects, in which local governments of poor regions invested heavily to construct grand structures that are of no use, instead of actual projects to improve people's lives. Beijing News comments:

Now clear US, allies adopting wolf pack tactics against China

Editor's note: The trade talks with the United States represent a potential turning point in the trade frictions the United States unilaterally started last year. Shen Yi, a researcher in politics at the Shanghai-based Fudan University, comments in a post for Guancha.cn:

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China bucks the falling wage growth trend

It's now official: workers around the world are falling behind. The International Labor Organization's latest Global Wage Report finds that, excluding China, real (inflation-adjusted) wages grew at an annual rate of just 1.1 percent in 2017, down from 1.8 percent in 2016. That is the slowest pace since 2008.

Onus on world leaders to end mental health stigma

The world faces an epidemic of mental health problems that cuts across borders, economies and cultures, and carries a stigma that leaves people suffering in silence. Tackling the problem requires political, business, and civil society leaders to make mental health and wellness a global priority, starting with the Globalization 4.0 discussions at the ongoing annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.

Equity market outlook this year is positive

Deutsche Bank's equity market outlook for China in 2019 estimates that MSCI Inc.'s proposed increase of A-share weighting and FTSE Emerging Index's A-share inclusion could result in an inflow of $90 billion, and recommends GARP-themed investment. (GARP refers to growth at a reasonable price based on greening, advancing manufacturing, reforming State-owned enterprises and promoting consumption.)